LEBANON — The Lebanon City Council voted Tuesday to temporarily disable all 20 of the city’s Flock Safety cameras over data privacy and security concerns, according to our news partners at WCPO-TV.
Crews began placing covers over the license plate readers on Wednesday.
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The action follows concerns regarding how the private company handles collected data, which goes beyond tracking license plates.
Although the Police Department has successfully used the technology to find stolen cars and missing people, city leaders voted to pause the system while they investigate the contract.
Crews began placing bags over the 20 cameras across the city on Wednesday, including a device located at the corner of Broadway and South Street near downtown Lebanon.
A motion to completely cancel the city’s contract with Flock Safety failed during Tuesday’s meeting. Instead, council members approved a temporary pause while leaders investigate the agreement.
Lebanon Mayor Mark Messer expressed concerns about the vendor before the vote, noting he spent the past couple of months researching the technology and holding meetings.
“I’ve been researching and having meetings and talking about this technology for the past couple of months, and it has gotten to the point where I’ve lost confidence in the company,” Messer said.
Messer noted that while local police have used the tool appropriately, the company failed to answer his questions regarding data privacy and security.
“It’s the same thing as a firearm in my opinion, like we, we trust the police to carry deadly weapons and and we expect them to use them in a way that that benefits our community and they’ve been doing that with this tool what I what I can’t say with certainty is that this private organization is doing the same,” Messer said.
The City Council is scheduled to hold a follow-up vote on Sept. 22 to decide the future of the camera system.
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